What's the Big Deal About Curt Schilling?

The latest Sports Illustrated features a life-sized, two-page photo of Curt Schilling's foot. "Blood and Guts," cries the headline, while the accompanying article brims with the windy fervor we have come to expect from baseball writers:

"The blood, bright crimson upon pure white, seeped into the sanitary sock of Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling around his right ankle, like stigmata for true believers in the fanatical church of Boston baseball. His wounds were real, as real as those of New England baseball fans..." Blah, blah, blah. (The complete article is online, but only for SI subscribers.)

I don't doubt that Schilling was in considerable pain due to the ligament damage in his ankle. Full credit to him for pitching through a pair of crucial playoff games on a gimpy leg.

In baseball, maybe that makes you the second coming of Joan of Arc. But hockey fans must be wondering what all the fuss is about. NHL players plow through this sort of stuff as a matter of routine.